THE ART OF CONVERSATION

START WITH SMALL TALK

• general filler topics
• weather
• pop culture
• events
• low risk sharings

WAIT YOUR TURN

• wait for a pause
• eye contact
• subtle visual cue
• gentle contact

IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU

• ask questions - listen more than talk
• avoid multitasking
• paraphrase to clarify
• Yes or No questions are lame
• superfical to riskier - gauge comfort
• Follow a thread - delve into a topic

"It's much easier to be interested in others than it is to convince them to be interested in you"
D Carnegie

Rudeness is not a sign of strength

embrace
silence

Stories are appropriate for some discussions - not all!

Words to embrace - pardon, excuse me, thx, a compliment or two.

Don't tolerate bad manners in others.

begin